What Causes Tooth Enamel Erosion

The tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. This tough layer acts as a protective coating for your tooth and protects the sensitive dentin underneath. However, your tooth enamel can become weak over a period of time and eventually begins to erode. When the enamel is worn away, the underneath dentin is exposed which in turn leads to pain, discomfort, and sensitivity. The most common signs of enamel erosion are tooth sensitivity and tooth yellowing. Fortunately, you can prevent these signs and get rid of enamel erosion from getting worse with a proper dental treatment.

If you are concerned about your teeth, here are a few tooth enamel erosion causes you should be aware of.

Excessive Consumptions of Soft Drinks

Excessive consumption of soft drinks is harmful to your oral health and hygiene because they contain acids that are high on chemical content that disrupts the structure of your teeth. When these acids are consumed in higher amounts, it damages your tooth enamel. Therefore, reduce the consumption of soft drinks.

Unhealthy Oral Habits

Bad and unhealthy oral habits such as chewing a pen or irregular brushing or flossing can cause gradual tooth enamel erosion. Biting or chewing foreign objects can result in cracked or chipped teeth which can affect your tooth enamel. Other unhealthy habits like using teeth as tools to break open something, biting nails, chewing the ice, etc. can also cause your enamel to damage leaving your teeth unprotected to tooth decay.

Dry Mouth Syndrome

Dry mouth syndrome, popularly known as xerostomia reduces the flow of saliva in your mouth. If the saliva content is low in your mouth, it won’t be able to wash away the acids that form after you eat your food. Once your mouth is left dry, there will be excessive acid buildup. Excessive acid in your mouth will give rise to the erosion of tooth enamel. Therefore, to prevent the risk of dry mouth syndrome, keep your mouth hydrated by drinking more water.

Gastrointestinal Problems

Gastrointestinal problems like frequent vomiting and acid reflux can bring in a high level of acids to your mouth. High level of acid buildup in mouth results in the wear-and-tear of the tooth enamel which will eventually lead to tooth enamel erosion.

These are a few causes of tooth enamel erosion. If you want to protect your teeth from getting damaged, you need to take care that your tooth enamel is not affected. It is recommended that you regularly visit a dentist to make sure your tooth enamel is not affected and your teeth are kept healthy. In case, the dentist notices that your tooth enamel is depleting, he will provide you with the necessary treatment and guide you to take care of your oral health better.